


Face God

by PokeChan



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragons, F/M, Fae & Fairies, KuroFai Olympics, M/M, Pre-Relationship, SFN (safe for newbies/Nick), Team Gods, fae!Fai, mentions of plague, playing fast and loose with fairy myths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 06:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15880413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PokeChan/pseuds/PokeChan
Summary: Fae are known for being beautiful and Kurogane is going to punch this one in his perfect face.





	Face God

**Author's Note:**

> Back at it again!!! This year I'm running with the MIGHTY AND POWERFUL GODS! Below you'll find my prompt and a helpful breakdown of said prompt.
> 
>  **Backpfeifengesicht (German):** a face badly in need of a fist; a slappable face; [a person with] an annoying face
> 
> Backpfeifengesicht breaks down into three words:  
> back from _die Backe_ meaning cheek  
>  _pfeifen_ from the German verb to whistle  
>  gesicht from _das Gesicht_ the German word for face  
>  Die Backpfeifen does not mean “cheek whistle” but “a slap”. So altogether Backpfeifengesicht means “slap face” translated literally.
> 
> [Follow this link to vote on this fic on the KuroFai DW!](https://kurofai.dreamwidth.org/110549.html) Be sure to read the rules for voting, and if voting is closed comments and kudos will always mean the world to me!! xoxo

The plague was not a new one. Neighboring towns had fallen prey to it, even the capitol had sealed off it’s own walls. The village of Suwa had hoped that they would be spared, being so far removed from most of the kingdom, but they had no such luck. They were simply one of the last struck. People fell ill one after the other. What was fortunate for them was that doctors were familiar with the illness and those who were hardy pulled through with a bit of help.

The young, old, and frail were not so lucky. 

The first to die was a young boy of only two. The next were a pair of elderly old men. A few more fell, though many more recovered than didn’t. It was sad to see faces wane and disappear. Kurogane had known most of these people his whole life. Seeing them waste away hurt. 

What hurt more, though, was watching his mother grow paler each day while he listened to her cough and shake and shudder. Her usually bright eyes were dimmed with fever. His father worried after her, night and day. Begged doctors for help, a cure, anything that could save his beloved wife. 

No one could do anything but help ease her passing. They could take away her pain, the doctors said. Let her pass on in sleep with ease, give her time to say goodbye.

Kurogane could not accept that.

The night the doctors finally gave up and offered to send his mother off in sleep Kurogane stole away in the middle of the night. A full moon shone bright in the sky and Kurogane moved by the silver light of her and the stars. He stepped into the Fae Woods with only a prayer and a legend.

There were stories of a beautiful flower that bloomed under the full Moon’s light. It glowed with the goddess’ power and its petals could be used to cure any illness. The legends said that it could be found growing in the crack of a fairy rock, and he knew for a fact that there was one such rock not terribly deep in the Woods. 

He wore bracelets of woven rowan bark and bits of iron on his ears. There was an iron dagger at his waist and around his neck hung an iron pendant his father had given him when he was just a boy. All of this would not be enough to save him if he happened to incur a fae’s wrath while still in the Woods, but it would give him a chance to put up a fight. 

Kurogane’s search lasted hours. He was just beginning to feel the edges of panic creeping over him when he saw it. A clearing stood before him, bathed in the light of the Moon, and in the center of the field stood a rock, as tall as Kurogane was and thrice as wide. Running along the bottom of the rock was a sizable crack, and from the crack bloomed a single flower. Its petals glowed silver as if they were made from the very light of the Moon. He took a few moments to marvel at it, but the night grew short, so he plucked the flower and carried his mother’s salvation out of the Woods. 

xXx

Kurogane managed to return home before dawn. He said nothing to his parents, thankful that they were asleep and had not the first idea about what he had spent the night doing, and set about preparing his mother’s morning dose of medicine, adding the petals of the flower he’d hunted down and disposing of the rest where no one would find it -- back in the Woods where it belonged, beyond the treeline. 

His mother refused to allow the doctors to ease her away from her family and into a sleep that would soon become death. With a firmness Kurogane had not heard in too long she bid the doctors to leave if they could not cure her and spend their energies on those who had more hope. 

Kurogane had never seen his father weep before.

His mother finished every last drop of the medicine mixture and by the evening her fever had broken. By the next morning she no longer coughed, and the next evening saw her standing, color returned to her face. Kurogane’s mother had always had frail health, everyone had expected her to die once the plague had reached her. Kurogane and his father could not have been more relieved to see her pull through.

Kurogane had two days to enjoy his mother’s health before the consequences of his actions caught up with him.

One of the children were the first to see it, playing near the edge of the Fae Woods, daring each other closer and closer until none could venture further without fear of being abducted. The startled screams drew the attention of nearby adults, who soon called for others. Before long the entire village was standing before the edge of the Woods, watching in fearful awe as the trees seemed to move aside and make way for something.

Out of the misty haze of the Woods came several figures, though one stood out amongst the rest. The fae was grander by far than any of the others accompanying it. Its clothing floated about it as if caught in a breeze that only existed to the fabric. Jewels adorned the fae’s clothing and limbs and neck, each gem glinting brilliant in the gentle rays of the sun’s light. There was a crown upon the fae’s head and it rode upon a steed that could have been a horse to a drunken blind man. Dark hair fell in straight, heavy lines like curtains cut directly from the darkest of night skies while its skin, indeed all of the fae’s skin, glowed with a subtle light. 

Not a single one of them looked pleased. 

Kurogane’s father, the leader of their quiet village, stepped forward and bowed humbly in greeting. “To what do we owe this visit, neighbors?”

The crowned fae looked down its nose at Kurogane’s father with disdain and Kurogane felt something hot and sick twist in his gut. His father was a respectable man, a good man, he did not deserve to be regarded like that. 

“Do not speak as if your people have not wronged us,” it said, delicate features colder than any winter Kurogane had known. “One of yours has stolen from us, a sacred and powerful blossom. I would demand it returned if I were not so sure of its destruction.” At that, one of the other fae stepped forward and presented the withered stem of the flower Kurogane had used to heal his mother. “We demand the thief who dared commit this crime. Which among you are responsible?”

No one spoke up, each person looking at their neighbor and fellow, scared and confused. Kurogane could not name what stilled his tongue, it didn’t feel like fear, but no matter how much he knew he should confess and save the village from the wrath of the fae he could not. Something in him simply refused to step forward and admit fault. It was as if he were under some sort of spell. 

The crowned fae frowned at the humans. “The price for this insult will be paid,” it said, smooth voice threatening like dark clouds on the horizon. 

“Please, your highness,” Kurogane’s father spoke. “These are my people, they look to me as a leader. Allow me to take responsibility for this crime.”

There had to have been a spell woven over him because there was nothing else that could even begin to explain why Kurogane simply stood there as the fae reached into a satchel hanging from its steed and handed his father a small package.

“Tonight, when the Moon reaches her zenith, bring this package with you into our Woods,” the fae instructed, and Kurogane listened closely. “Follow the trail you find and when you arrive at the end of it open the package.”

Without further words the fae all turned back towards the Woods, melting into the greenery as if it were water. In their wake a sense of dread and mourning permeated the air, sitting thick as smoke. Wordlessly, Kurogane followed his parents back home.

There was only one option left to Kurogane. He locked himself into his room and pulled anything he could think to need into a sack. He listened to his mother cry feeling tears of his own sting his eyes while she cursed the world around her in a heartbreaking mix of grief and rage. That she was there to do so, that she had the energy to pace and wail and shout, was enough to propel Kurogane into action as the sun began to set. 

His father had left the package by the doorway, sitting on the tabletop, so plain and unassuming. Silent as could be, Kurogane slipped from his room and snatched up the package, replacing it with a note to his parents and the small wooden figure he had whittled while waiting for his chance to leave. Only steps away from his home, Kurogane already missed his family so much it suffocated him.

There was no time to dwell, however. He knew he had to complete the price before his father could go looking for him. He couldn’t allow anyone else to pay for his misdeed. Kurogane did not regret what he did, it had saved his dear mother’s life, but the victory was bittersweet.

The moment Kurogane set foot into the Woods he could feel eyes on him. He was sure it was the fae watching over him, the thief. Just as the crowned fae had said, Kurogane found a pathway winding through the forest. He followed it with steel in each step.

He still wore his iron and rowan bark even as he knew deep down that they would all be useless. Everyone knew what fae did to thieves and trespassers and if Kurogane did not go quietly they would come for his father and their town next.

The trail Kurogane followed twisted and turned this way and that all through the Woods, almost as if to confuse him. It was thinner than a deer trail and practically overgrown to the point that in some places it severed the path entirely, forcing Kurogane to pick his way through the underbrush to rejoin the trail a little ways out several times. Eventually, though, he was lead back to the same clearing he had found a few nights ago.

The same Fairy Rock stood in the center, somehow all the more imposing now that it had been stripped of its single flower. Kurogane felt like he was looking upon an executioner’s block more than anything else, yet he still moved towards it. In the light of the waning moon he checked the crack, hoping that maybe the flower had left roots so that another would one day sprout. In hindsight he probably could have made due with only a petal, maybe even less, but he was in a panic and like a fool and tore the entire thing free from where it bloomed. 

“Fine mess I’ve made,” he sighed to himself, rocking back onto his haunches. He’d expected the fae to be here, ready to snatch him up and spirit him away to whatever fate they’d all devised for him, but there was nothing here but himself and the Fairy Rock.

“Couldn’t have made a better one myself,” chimed a voice from above, startling Kurogane so much that he fell backwards to the grass below. Looking up he saw a new fae, one with sunshine hair and summer sky eyes, laugh merrily at him. “Impressive enough that you managed to find this clearing on your own by the Moon’s light, but then you plucked up the Luminous Blossom and made off with it all the way back to your village. There’s something special about you.”

Clever eyes watched Kurogane quickly get to his feet and remained amused as he pulled free his iron dagger. Smiling, the fae lifted itself up and flipped weightlessly in the air, icy blue wings flicking lazily (they reminded Kurogane of the dragonflies he used to chase at the fishing ponds as a boy, always too fast to catch, ever just out of his reach). It landed silently a few feet in front of Kurogane and leaned almost casually against the Rock, but the motion was too practiced to be genuine, and Kurogane remained on guard. 

“It’s a shame the Queen won’t listen to reason since she’s been stolen from,” it said, still smiling like there was some sort of joke Kurogane just wasn’t catching on to. “You’re much more useful as a human than a bullfrog.”

Kurogane balked, he couldn’t help it. Was that to be his punishment? It was… he couldn’t even call it harsh, just ludacris. “A _bullfrog_?” he croaked, unable to stop himself. 

Laughing again the fae shrugged. “Or a tree, or minnow, or some other unassuming forest backdrop. My point is, you’ll be useless if she gets her hands on you, and she’s not to be reasoned with, she’s very set on payments and repayments, and you’ve landed yourself quite a debt, Mr. Black.”

Kurogane scowled. “My name isn’t Mr. Black,” he snapped. 

The fae’s grin widened. “Do tell, what is it then? You may call me Fai.”

 _‘Fai the fae, ridiculous,’_ Kurogane thought to himself. What a stupid name to give. If you were going to pick an alias at least pick a suitable one, and Kurogane was not fool enough to believe Fai was this creature’s true name.

Nor was he fool enough to give his. No one used his true name, a tactic used by all in the village he was born to, one name given at birth, spoken for an entire cycle of the Moon’s passing, then a second name given, spoken for the rest of the child’s life. Living so close to the fae it was a necessary precaution. There were few times in a person’s life that they were reminded of their true name. 

“You may call me Kurogane,” he offered. “And if your Queen wants her payment how is she supposed to receive it if I’m some sort of animal or plant? Actually…”

Come to think of it, where was the Queen? He was meant to meet her and her Court at the end of the path. He moved to walk to the edge of the clearing to see if the path continued, but there was nothing but dense Woods and shadows so thick they swallowed the Moon’s light. 

“Why am I meeting you and not the Queen?” Kurogane asked suspiciously. 

The fae’s smile shifted then. Its eyes closed and its expression became less amused and more hollowly winsome. “You don’t want me to answer that.”

Kurogane felt panic creeping up his spine, and that wore his patience to nothing. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want an answer, you idiot! Where is the Queen?”

Fai sighed and, finally, let the smile fall. “Probably waiting with her Court for you or your father to arrive, but neither of you will, because you took the package she gave that signaled the payment, and then I stole you from her path.”

“You did WHAT!?” Kurogane roared. “Bring me to her, right now!”

“No,” Fai said flatly. “Didn’t you hear me before? She’ll just turn you into some slimy, useless thing, then we’re all screwed.”

“I don’t care what happens to me!” Kurogane said, taking bold steps closer to the fae. “If no one from the village shows up she going to go back, and this time who knows what she’ll do!”

This time Fai actually frowned. It stood its ground and looked up into Kurogane’s face. “I worked too hard to get you to this clearing,” it said, voice dangerously calm. Its voice chilled the air around them, washing Kurogane in a ripple of its power. “I did not toss away the title of Lord, track you beyond the boundaries of the Woods, and work myself to the brink of exhaustion to overpower your will to confess to the Queen and her Court just so you could throw yourself at her feet the moment you stepped foot into the Fae Realm. I stole you, so you belong to me.”

For a brief moment Kurogane weighed the pros and cons of trying to punch a fae in the face. Once the moment had gone by he’d decided he didn’t care and swung.

He missed, hitting nothing but thin air, but thankfully managed to retain some dignity by not falling or stumbling over. He spun around and glared at Fai. His mind was whirling with all of the pieces that were slotting into place - the reason he couldn’t speak up earlier, why the path had been so disjointed, why the Queen was nowhere to be found. This would-be Lord of Fairies was to blame. 

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Kurogane hissed. “My whole village could be killed, and their blood is on my hands! Let me make this right!”

Another heavy sigh, the sound grating on Kurogane’s nerves like nothing ever had before. “I’m trying to, Kuro-stubborn,” Fai said, ignoring the twitch of Kurogane’s eye at the bizarre butchering of his name. “If this were as simple as some human being punished for stealing from the fae I wouldn’t be sticking my neck out like this, I’m a fae who enjoys the comforts his Court affords him, but there’s far more to this than just the Luminous Blossom and the Queen’s temper.”

All of the stories and legends said the fae could not lie, that they couldn’t even tell half-truths. The closest any of them could get was evasion, the more skilled of them could lie by omission, but when they spoke they spoke truth. However, Kurogane felt like he was being lied to, and maybe it was just something about Fai, but he had nothing but distrust for every word that tripped out of the fairy’s mouth. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Kurogane demanded.

“I’m talking about a pair of thieves helping one another,” Fai said. His smile had returned and he was moving back towards Kurogane. “A fae and a human, a pair of mismatched fellows out to save the world. It’s the stuff songs are written about.”

None of that answered Kurogane’s question, but before he could point that out an earth shattering crack sounded from deep within the Woods, shaking leaves from the trees and making Kurogane’s bones ache. It sounded like it came from all around them, but Fai’s eyes immediately darted to his left and narrowed. Kurogane followed his gaze, but saw nothing but trees and shadows.

Even if he couldn’t see anything, he could still _feel_ something. It was dark and vile. Wrong. Something in the pit of Kurogane’s stomach, something ancient and old, told him it was hungry. Every part of him was screaming to run - run fast and run far, or die. So, when Fai ordered him to follow or do just that Kurogane ran like there were wolves at his heels.

He followed Fai through the trees, the fae like a sunspot in the darkness of the nighttime Woods as he flew between vines and branches with such ease it was like he was simply going right through them. Keeping up wasn’t easy, legs were never meant to match wings, but Fai eventually slowed to a halt once they crossed a shallow stream and ducked into the hollow of a gigantic oak. 

Both of them were panting, slumped over and trying to catch their breath for several minutes before either of them could speak.

“You continue to impress, Kuro-nimble,” Fai said between heaving breaths. “I was sure I would have had to double back for you.”

Deciding he’d had enough of being on his feet for now, Kurogane slide to the ground and leaned heavily against the inner wall of the trunk. “I’m more than capable of looking after myself. And quit calling me those weird names.”

He only received a quick trickle of breathless laughter in response, and something in the tone of it told Kurogane he might as well save his breath. Besides, he had more important things to try and pull out of Fai than the proper pronunciation of his second name. 

“What was that?” Kurogane asked. 

“That, my dear human, was what we’re going to kill in order to repay the Queen.”

Fai sat opposite Kurogane, breathing in deeply as his wings folded seamlessly against his back, and began to tell him about what they had just fled from.

According to Fai, the thing had once been fae itself, one of a Court separate from Fai’s, a Court that no longer existed. The fae had been a noble, respected and crafty, but he had been greedy for power. Rumors told that the fae, known now only as Zukamori, had always had a dark heart. He had been a cold and distant fae, aloof in life, but charmingly personable when it suited him. No one had really trusted him, but he had always done his duties for the King of his Court. 

Until he turned on them all. His desire for power had been driven too far by his uncaring heart, and Zukamori determined himself to become a god. He killed the lesser fae of his Court, killed the other nobles, and even slaughtered his own King. All the while each death brought him closer and closer to his goal, draining the magic from his fallen courtesans with the power granted by a forbidden spell, but further and further from sanity. He cared not for the trade off, and there were whispers that Zukamori was already mad to begin with, that he had little sanity to lose to the spell as it was.

His goal stayed ever out of reach, no matter the power he amassed by slaughtering his kin. He was no fae any longer, his birthright left behind with the corpses, he was no god either, however. Still, he called himself a god of plague, and left his Court’s lands to seek the final power that would truly make him a god.

It was an awful tale, one that tore away many of the things Kurogane thought he knew about the fae from the stories humans told about them. It answered some questions he had had, but raised more as well.

“So you want me to help you kill a god?” Kurogane asked incredulously. He was no slouch of a fighter, but the fae were in their own league compared to a human, and this… thing was enough to have taken out an entire Court of fae, gaining power with each kill. 

Fai shook his head. “Zukamori isn’t a god yet,” he said. “And I plan to keep it that way. Besides, godhood won’t make killing him impossible, just… far more difficult.”

Kurogane could only stare for a moment. He was not prepared for any of this and he could feel a headache forming with each new piece of information Fai gave him. 

“We’ll stay here a while,” Fai continued, as if he hadn’t just told Kurogane that killing a god were possible. And that he expected the pair of them to accomplish it. “Rest up, I don’t know when you’ll get your next chance.”

Kurogane almost did without question, this had been the longest night of his life, but he still needed more answers. “Why do you need a human to help you?”

“I don’t,” Fai said plainly. The smile that told Kurogane he was missing some sort of joke was back, as well as the itch to drive his fist into Fai’s face. “I need you. That fact that you’re human, well, it’s something we can work around I’m sure.”

The fact that Fai was dismissive at best of Kurogane’s humanity shouldn’t have hit a nerve, the fae did not think much of humans at all, but it still pissed him off. Irate, he picked up a stone by his hand and flung it at Fai, unsurprised when he batted it away easily, but disappointed that he failed to hit the bastard all the same. 

“What so special about me?” Kurogane asked. “So I found the flower and got it back home, I don’t see how that’s supposed to be enough to convince anyone I can help kill a god.”

“But it is,” Fai insisted, his eyes sparking like blue fire in the dark of their hiding spot. “The Luminous Blossom existed solely in the Fae Realm, and while a human might fall _into_ our Realm, it’s all but impossible that they would be able to trip their way blindly back to the human side. But _you_ ,” and now Fai leaned in closer, his excitement at the thought of what Kurogane had apparently managed to do literally lighting up his features. “You came in and walked right back out. With purpose.”

A soft glow illuminated his pale skin and golden hair and for the first time Kurogane understood what all the stories meant when they spoke about the unnatural beauty of the fae. The thought made something twist uncomfortably in his belly, in the same way as when a boar spots him before he’s notched the arrow meant to slay it or when he hears the howl of wolves just a little too close to the village. Dangerous, terribly so, but far more thrilling for it. 

A fae’s beauty was just another trick, one more spell woven to lure unsuspecting humans into their clutches. But by the Moon and Stars it was a good trick. The men back home were by no means ugly, and even so Kurogane wasn’t so shallow as to delve no deeper than looks, but he had never seen anything like the supernaturally flawless beauty that was Fai so up close. His eyes wide and round with excitement dancing in them like flames, his hair as fine as silk spun from sunlight, lips smiling and pink and so soft looking that they practically begged for Kurogane to lean forward and catch them between his teeth.

It was a good trick, a cruel trick if it were one played ever without the fae’s knowledge. 

“So because I made it between the realms-”

“Without detection!” Fai interrupted. “Until the Luminous Blossom was destroyed, and I’m assuming consumed, no one even knew it was missing.”

Kurogane had spent hours looking for that clearing and the Fairy Stone. He had been convinced he was lost more times that single night than he’d been able to keep count of, and never once had he found even so much as a deer trail. Still, he had found his mark, and once he’d had the Blossom in hand making it home had taken less than an hour. He’d thought nothing of it at the time, excused it away so easily - who knew how many circles he’d walked in, he shouldn’t questions his good fortune, time was easy to lose track of in the dark of the Woods - and nothing mattered once his mother had recovered from her illness. 

Now, though, now he was beginning to remember why no one ever came back from the Woods after dark.

It was so much easier to trip into the Fae Realm at night, the veil between the worlds was thinner. It was common knowledge that any human caught in the Fae Realm was all but doomed unless they were particularly quick witted or well prepared, and even then it might not be enough. No one tested their luck, not the greatest fool or the most stubborn of blowhards. No one, except of course, Kurogane. 

There was no luck that night, he could see the truth of that in Fai’s glowing face. 

“So, what does that mean?” he asked with caution.

“It means your talents far exceed even your own expectations,” Fai said, settling back down against the other side of the trunk. “For example, the cloaking spell you used, it’s a work of art. I can’t sense any magic at all, I couldn’t even feel you enter the Realm, I had to watch you to make sure I wouldn’t lose you. That has to be of your own design, surely?”

And just like that Fai had lost him. Kurogane had no cloaking spell on him. The iron and rowan bark didn’t mask him from the fae, they simply created paltry shields against their magic and might burn them if touched. Any protections his mother had placed on him or his garments had long since lapsed when she’d fallen ill, and none could hide his entry into the Woods or Fae Realm, no one had that sort of power outside of a fully realized witch. 

Also, Fai didn’t sense any magic because Kurogane had none for him to sense, and he told him as much. Quite to his disbelief. 

“You’re lying, you have to be,” Fai insisted. “You’re practically impossible to track, even your life energy seems muted, like it’s trying not to give you away.”

He was back up from his spot against the tree trunk, wings out this time, flickering quickly with his words as he hovered over Kurogane, who was resisting the urge to bat Fai away like a bothersome fly. 

Fai stared at him intently, his eyes boring holes into him as if he could force an answer out of thin air by sheer will power, and maybe he could, Kurogane didn’t know the limits of a fae’s power. The longer he stared, however, the clearer it got that he was becoming frustrated with a lack of results. Eventually, when nothing about Kurogane gave Fai the answers he wanted, he settled back down with a dejected huff. 

He didn’t stop eyeing Kurogane, though, even as he suggested, once again, that they get some rest. “The tree will protect us from being found by Zukamori. It won’t give anyone from the Court up to an outsider, and since you belong to me, you are also one of the Court,” Fai explained.

“I don’t belong to you!” Kurogane snapped, but again Fai only tittered in response, and Kurogane, feeling the stress of the day catching up with him, didn’t bother to stir up the argument. This time. 

xXx

_Mother and Father,_

_Forgive me, both for not speaking sooner and for what I’ve done now. It was I who stole from the fae. I would have confessed there in front of everyone, but I swear I had been bitwitched into silence. I won’t make excuses. I stole the flower and used it to make Mother well again, I crushed it and slipped it into her medicine. I hadn’t even thought about what the consequences might be, but I’ll make things right._

_I’ve taken the package that the fae handed over to Father earlier today. I’m going into the Woods and I will confess the truth to them. I won’t let someone else pay for my crimes. I have no regrets about saving Mother, only that I’m not going to be there to enjoy her good health with her. Tell the village whatever you will, I trust your judgements._

_Even as I write this, I miss you. ___

__“He took it…” Mitsuki said. She could no longer see the words through her tears. “Hayato… Hayato, Kurogane is gone!”_ _

__He was gone, ventured off into the Fae Woods to hand himself over to their Queen with only a note in parting, all for her sake._ _

__Her husband was there in moments, concern obvious in every line of his body. Mitsuki didn’t resist when he lead her into a chair, didn’t try to keep the letter that was the last thing her son had left for her from him when he gingerly pry it from her shaking hands. Instead she sat and she wept. She felt disgusted with herself, but to do anything else was simply out of her reach._ _

__“No…” it was more of a breath than a word._ _

__She heard the letter fall from Hayato’s hand and to the floor. She reach down the picked it up, cradling it to her chest like it was her child, like that piece of wrinkled parchment could return her precious boy to her. She heard Hayato curse, mutter something about should have this, would have that. He thought about going into the Woods himself to go after Kurogane, but in the next breath realized what a foolish thing that would be to do._ _

__Still… Mitsuki thought. It might not be wholly foolish._ _

__Like lightning she was on her feet and through the door, Kurogane’s letter still held close to her chest. Before Hayato could even clear their garden gate Mitsuki was at the edge of the Woods, gazing into the shadowy abyss. Before her there was no path, everything was overgrown and unwelcoming. The trees and bushes were like the fortifications of a castle and the only way through the foliage would be to burn it to ash._ _

__There was no need to enter the Woods, though. No, she needed only to be heard by them._ _

__“Please,” she begged, hearing Hayato come up beside her. “Please protect my son. He’s a good man, and his crimes were committed in the name of a son’s love for his mother. I pray you show him mercy, leniency, some sort of kindness.”_ _

__Nothing changed to show that her pleas had been heard, and her heart sunk like a stone into the pit of her stomach. Moving away from the treeline was impossibly difficult. She waited for a sign for what felt like eternity, but the pink light of dawn told her it had hardly been a night. Before turning away she offered one last prayer. “Kurogane… if you can hear me, be strong. I love you.”_ _

__xXx_ _

___Be strong… I love… yo… u…_ _ _

__The dream dispersed like morning mist as Kurogane was pulled into wakefulness by the sound of Fai calling his name in a quiet but urgent whisper. Kurogane opened his eyes to see Fai’s face mere inches from his own with a look of utter seriousness upon it. He held a finger to his lips and waited for Kurogane to nod in understanding before moving away to peer out from their hiding spot._ _

__He was tense, even the way his wings stood still as stone when they had flicked lazily like the flutter of eyelashes or the easy in and out of breath before. It had Kurogane on edge in an instant, the echo of his mother’s voice from his dreams fading swiftly in favor of survival. He crouched and moved up beside Fai._ _

__“Is it Zukamori?” he whispered. Kurogane had no weapons save for his dagger and the woven bark on his wrist, but he was prepared to use those flimsy tools to put up as much of a fight as he could._ _

__But Fai shook his head. “Worse. Hunters of the Queen’s. We’ve got a search party on our tails.”_ _

__At first Kurogane wasn’t sure how that was worse than a crazed fae-turned-demigod but he soon realized that Fai probably wouldn’t want to hurt his own kind. If what he’d said last night was true, and Kurogane unfortunately had no reason to believe it wasn’t, he was risking quite a lot to protect the Court he belonged to._ _

__They watched the hunting party search of them through their vantage point within the old oak. Each fae bore the crest of the Queen, or at least what Kurogane assumed was her crest as it was emblazoned proudly across each of their chests along with other pieces of the obsidian armor they wore. It was an image of the sun, proud and golden, being embraced on one side by the crescent moon, making the two celestial bodies appear as one. Kurogane saw no such mark on anything Fai wore, but he still identified himself as someone loyal to the Queen of this Court._ _

__He decided he could dwell on Fai’s complicated relationship with his people later. Instead, he busied himself with counting how many fae were lurking about their hiding spot and trying to figure out how he and Fai were going to slip by them without being seen. He totaled five fae, but there was no telling if - or how many he had missed. Their search pattern seemed to be flawless as well, no blind spots large enough to exploit for an escape._ _

__Things were looking bleak._ _

__It was as that thought passed through his mind Fai drew a bow and arrow from thin air and pointed it at the closest fae. Kurogane was, in all honesty, horrified. He had been so sure Fai hadn’t wanted to harm his fellow fae._ _

__Before Kurogane could say anything Fai loosed his arrow, but it didn’t hit the fae Kurogane had sworn Fai was aiming for, in fact it didn’t hit any of them. It soared through the air, whistling shrilly as it went. When it finally hit its target, well out of Kurogane’s field of vision, the whistle crescendoed into an ear splitting shriek._ _

__Kurogane was convinced they were done for. There was no way that at least one of the hunter fae wouldn’t be able to parse where the arrow had flown from, but against everything he thought would happen, the entire hunting party raced after the arrow as if it had been their target all along._ _

__“Quickly,” Fai hissed, darting out of the tree hollow. “That won’t keep them distracted for long. We need to make ourselves scarce before they realize they’ve been tricked.”_ _

__Fai shot off in the opposite direction of where he had shot the arrow, his wings working so quickly they were nothing more than a blur at his back. Kurogane didn’t hesitate to follow after him, weaving through the wild growth and trees. It was difficult to keep up, but somehow Kurogane managed to not lose sight of the glowing white-blue blur of movement that was Fai as they fled._ _

__He had no frame of reference for how far the hunters could track them, so all he could do was count on Fai to lead them both to a place far away enough to be safe. The Woods around them were a wild rush of greens and filtered sunlight. Kurogane got the sense that even if he tried to retrace his steps he would find it impossible to make his way back to where they’d begun. The very make up of the landscape was warping behind them in an attempt to cover their tracks. He wasn’t sure if Fai was actively causing it or if the Woods did this on their own. All he did know was that they needed to get further than they were. They ran until Kurogane’s lungs began to burn and then they continued to run, without stopping or slowing._ _

__It wasn’t until Kurogane began to taste the coppery tang of blood at the back of his throat did Fai slow and finally stop, alighting heavily on a fallen log at the shore of a gently flowing river. Kurogane followed suit, panting and coughing for several minutes until his lungs stopped burning quite so much._ _

__The air around them was still tense and they were both still on high alert for any sign that they were followed, but as minutes ticked by and nothing but the sound of birds and the river met their ears they slowly uncoiled._ _

__The first sound either of them made was, surprisingly, a still breathless laugh from Kurogane. Fai watched him, shocked, as he slowly shook his head and laughed quietly. Of all the absolutely mad things he had done in his life - stealing from the fae included - sprinting in a mad dash from a party of supernatural hunters looking specifically for him certainly topped the list._ _

__“I can’t believe that worked,” he said. “Did they not see it was an arrow making all that noise?”_ _

__This time, Fai laughed, but it didn’t irritate Kurogane. It warmed up the air and stirred up the sunlight as he threw his head back. “Ha ha, oh! They didn’t see an arrow or hear the whistle at all!” Fai was giddy when he looked back at Kurogane. “I cast an illusion, they thought they were chasing after me, not an arrow.”_ _

__With that simple explanation everything slotted into place in an instant._ _

__Fai watched it all click, and then stood. “Once they find the arrow my illusion will fail, so we should get moving again. Luckily, we’re not far from where I wanted to take you.”_ _

__Kurogane followed suit, and without being asked fell in step with Fai walking along the bank of the river. “And where is that, exactly?”_ _

__Fai’s easy grin darkened to something wicked, wolfish almost. “What weapon do you prefer to battle with?”_ _

__xXx_ _

__The whole of the castle was as silent as death, from the entrance hall of artfully intertwined, petrified great oaks and maples to the opulent throne room of marble and obsidian._ _

__Dozens of fae stood to either side of the center aisle, not daring to so much as breathe as they watched their Queen receive the news that her hunting party had failed to apprehend their targets._ _

__Eyes like the brightest, burning embers looked down a perfectly straight nose at the kneeling hunters, dusky red lips turned down in a faint hint of a frown. She considered them for several long seconds, her eyes moving between each of them in turn as she sipped from her wine goblet. With each passing moment the air in the throne room dropped until there were icicles forming up on the high ceilings._ _

__Queen Yuuko of the Moon Court was _furious_. _ _

__“First,” she said coolly, “I am disappointed by one of my dearly trusted Lords after he lets some lowly human make off with not just any flower of ours, which would be insulting enough, but with the Luminous Blossom - a bloom we have guarded with our magic and lives for century upon century.”_ _

__Yuuko stood, her majestic wings unfurling behind her like great lacework capes caught in a breeze. Beneath her feet ice cracked._ _

__“Next, after banishing said Lord, he goes behind my back and steals the human thief from me, without anyone else noticing until _dawn_.” At the word dawn the whole of the court flinched, save for the two fae stood to either side of Yuuko’s throne, watching placidly as their Queen detailed his subjects’ failures. “And now, you’re telling me that you lot have failed to find and capture either of them, and on top of that, the reason you have failed is because you were fooled by a simple illusion. Have I forgotten anything?”_ _

__Swallowing hard the lead hunter lifted his gaze to address the Queen. “Your Majesty, I swear to you, they will not escape us again.”_ _

__“You’re correct,” Yuuko said, coming to stand before the hunter. “Because you won’t be getting a second chance to let that happen. All of you can hone your skills in the stables, shoveling away muck and cleaning every inch of space and equipment spotless as if you were mortals. Go.”_ _

__Disheartened and scorned as the hunters might have been, not a single one of them dared tried to raise an argument against the Queen. Each of them stood and filed out of the throne room without further comment._ _

__Once they had gone Yuuko dismissed the rest of the Court nobles that had come to hear the news, leaving only her and her two attendants._ _

__“Yue,” Yuuko sighed once the heavy, wooden doors had closed behind the last of her subjects. “What is the state of the seed?”_ _

__Yue, a fae clad in moonlight white gossamer robes with glittering silver armor on his shoulders and upper arms, stepped forward and set a bowl in front of Yuuko. “Same as last time, Your Highness, perfectly fine.”_ _

__Yuuko hummed thoughtfully. Next, she summoned water into the bowl, filling it nearly to the brim. Then, she poured what was left of her wine into the water and stepped to the side. “Kamui,” she said, summoning the other fae to her side. “See if the water has a better idea of where to find those two thieves.”_ _

__Kamui nodded and stepped up to the bowl of wine and water. He wore an obsidian breastplate and leather gauntlets, simple wear for someone of such a high rank, but both suited him just fine._ _

__He peered into the swirling color and listened to the ripples contained within the bowl. He used his magic to reach through the world and search through ponds and puddles, rivers and streams and creeks for his marks. Normally, when he searched, the water guided him quickly to his targets, it pulled him along its currents as if he were a leaf floating on the surface of the rapids, but this time it felt as if he were fighting the current, like the water would rather hide the traitor and his pilfered human than aid him in their capture. Kamui had never experienced anything like it before._ _

__In the end, though, he did find them. It was murky, as if the water had had mud kicked up recently, but they had no time to wait for it to settle and Kamui learned what he could._ _

__“They travel upstream along the Dragon’s River,” Kamui reported. “You don’t think Fai is taking the human to the Hoard?”_ _

__It would be an absurd thing to do, unless of course after all of this trouble Fai just wanted to feed the human to the river’s guardian. It seemed a rather pointless goal, so Kamui was sure the exiled Lord was playing at something else._ _

__“We will stop them from reaching it,” Yue announced, determined._ _

__“No…” Yuuko said slowly, quietly, drawing the word out. “Meet them at the Hoard. I want to see what Fai is planning. He’s a jokester and lazy, but he’s never been stupid.”_ _

__Yue balked, or did what passed as balking for Yue, which was a mighty raising of his eyebrows and an opening of his mouth just the slightest bit. Kamui, however, agreed, and was glad his curiosity would not be left unsatisfied._ _

__“At what point should we stop them?” Kamui asked._ _

__“If the dragon tries to eat the human,” she said. “Once everything is finished there, bring them both back here.”_ _

__Yuuko looked interested, curious even. There was a light in her eyes that had not been present since the King of the Sun Court had been slain. That this was what brought back some reminder of who she truly was inside, beneath the mourning, was surprising to say the least, but both Yue and Kamui would accept the blessings where they could get them._ _

__Without further delay both fae bowed and took their leave, making for the craggy shores of the Hoard._ _

__xXx_ _

__The river’s bank had become rocky and uneven quickly. Unnatural looking rock formations shot up from the ground to arch over the water or spear straight up towards the sky. The treeline had fallen back and the only greenery among the rocks were hardy shrubs and daring ivy and vines that groped their way up the spires of sharp stone._ _

__For all the harshness that the landscape suddenly had taken on, the water of the river remained calm, almost tranquil. If it weren’t for the quiet sound of water flowing Kurogane would have thought the river stood still. When he’d asked Fai about the lack of movement on the surface he had been told that the current flowed a ways beneath, where the guardian watched and rested. She alone kept the river flowing and in turn kept life flowing to all the river touched._ _

__It sounded not unlike another of his mother’s fairytales and the familiarity made his heart ache with homesickness._ _

__There was still not guarantee that this plan of Fai’s would be enough to buy Kurogane passage home. As far as he knew he was still never going to see his family again, and though he knew he would never regret his decision or actions, he still would always want to return to them more than he would want anything in this life. That was what had him going along with Fai’s plan, the only thing that granted him any hope at all of seeing his parents again, no matter how slim._ _

__“Nearly there,” Fai said, cutting through Kurogane’s thoughts. “When we make it down this slope we’ll be at the shores of what is called the Hoard. After that, it’s all up to you.”_ _

__Carefully, they began their decent, sharp stone crumbling beneath their hands and feet as they went and falling ominously into the dark, unseen cavern that Fai had lead them to. They moved slowly, testing their footing and handholds before making their next move. Fai’s wings had been tucked away a while back, and he did not unfurl them here. He hadn’t told Kurogane of any special restrictions as to why, but the further down they climbed the thicker the air became with power. Perhaps it was respect, he thought, or maybe fear. Either way, by the time they had reached the bottom Fai was sporting far more cuts than Kurogane, and pouting about it like a true nobleborn._ _

__Compared to the gentle rushing of the current outside and the distant, muted noises of the Woods, the cavern was cacophonous. Kurogane could hear a waterfall close by that he could just barely make out in the scant light that made it through the cracks in the cavern’s ceiling. There was also the constant hum in the air, low and uneven as the rocks surrounding them._ _

__Kurogane stepped away from Fai and towards the edge of the rippling pool. The closer to the water’s edge they were, the smoother the stones that make up the bank were, until the ones in the water, faintly glowing in every shade of jewel, were made glass smooth. He was less than a step away from the water’s edge when Kurogane noticed that the waterfall, which by all rights should not have existed, as he and Fai had traveled upstream, was flowing from the pool of water and upwards towards where the river would emerge from the crags above them._ _

__Upon this realization the humming in the air deepened and crescendoed into a mighty growl. The waterfall Kurogane had been looking at… changed. He had no better word for it. The reality around it warped and shimmered until the water and air where the waterfall had been was now the serpentine back of some great beast._ _

__For several impossibly long seconds there was no beginning or end to the beast, only coils and coils of silver-blue scales surging up and out of the pool’s water that had not appeared to be more than a few inches deep at most. Then, quite suddenly, there were two ruby red eyes glowing in a sun-gold head looking so deeply into Kurogane’s heart that he felt like if he spoke he would be unable to speak a truth deep enough to match what those eyes had seen inside of him._ _

__It stole his breath. No dragon in any story he had ever heard came close to this._ _

__“You’ve come to me to become a God Slayer, young human,” the dragon said. Her voice was powerful but not cruel as it reverberated through every rock and drop of water, through Kurogane’s bones and blood. “Yet this is not so personal as it ought to be for you.”_ _

__Kurogane swallowed thickly. It was true that he had no personal reasons to want to kill Zukamori, except that it might win him favor enough to return home, but it would still be doing right by the world. Or so he believed._ _

__“I cannot and will not lie about my reasons,” Kurogane began, “I wish to-”_ _

__The guardian shook her massive head and he fell silent. “You misunderstand, human. This battle you intend to wage, you find it less a personal war than you ought to, as this being of corruption has wronged you and yours as surely as he has wronged his own.”_ _

__The guardian peered down into the water and Kurogane followed her gaze. Several stones began to shine bright, but they showed him nothing but their light. Thankfully, the guardian interpreted. “An illness unnaturally spread. A loved one nearly lost. Medicine taken in desperation. The frantic anger of a Queen unwilling to be swayed.” The stones dimmed to their normal glow. “All of these are consequences and actions of the one who seeks godhood.”_ _

__Kurogane couldn’t believe it. He stared longer at the water, as if it or it’s stones could give him understanding. The plague, his mother’s illness - everything that had lead to him stealing from and angering the fae. It had all been because of Zukamori._ _

__He saw red._ _

__He wondered if the fae bled red like men, or if not which of the stories were correct. Kurogane supposed he would find out soon._ _

__“Tell me what I need to do,” he asked the guardian._ _

__She considered him and Kurogane could feel her sight pierce through his physical body again, into his heart and soul, into his mind and something more that he had no name for. After a second or a day, Kurogane couldn’t say which, she closed her eyes and s sense of satisfaction seeped into the air. Kurogane was powerless and breathed deeply, allowing the sensation to fill his chest. Upon his exhale, the feeling did not leave, but spread further within him, and with each breath it sank deeper into his being._ _

__“None of the tools I have will be enough to undo this corruption,” the guardian said. “I will fashion you one. The payment for such a gift is thus; you will kill the one known as Zukamori with this weapon before slaying any other foe, and before your death it is to be returned to me to rest within my Hoard.”_ _

__It was an easy enough demand, Kurogane agreed._ _

__“Then do as I command, and I will forge you a suitable weapon, O God Slayer.”_ _

__He did as he was told. First, he pulled free his iron dagger and offered it to the water. When he pulled it above the surface it sparkled and shined like it was made of polished glass. He brought it to the muscle of his forearm and sliced, forcing himself not to wince at the ice cold sting of the blade._ _

__Blood quickly welled to the surface, dripping over his arm and down to the stoney shore at his feet. He caught what he could with the broad side of the dagger, tilting it just enough to coat it a glossy red. It was with only the slightest hesitation now that Kurogane removed the last of his protection against the fae, this rowan oak braids from around his wrists. He took them in one hand and pressed them flat against the cut on his arm, then wrapped them around the blade of his dagger._ _

__Finally, once the mildly gorey ritual was completed, Kurogane tossed dagger and sheath both into the water. The last thing he did was kneel at the edge of the pool and rinse his arm clean. When it came back with nothing more than a thin, silvery scar to mark where he had cut he couldn’t help but stare in amazement. He would never get used to these creatures of magic._ _

__“I will deliver this weapon to you upon the next sunrise,” the guardian said. Already she was fading back into the water, the very sight of her becoming distorted and rippled. “To the pair of fae that have been watching on behalf of the Queen, do tell her that I have tasked this human with stopping the one who slayed the King of the Sun’s Court.”_ _

__With those words two more fae stepped out of shadows just feet from Fai, earning an undignified yelp followed by a few accusatory words Kurogane hadn’t caught._ _

__“Kurogane, gifted son of mortals,” the guardian addressed him again. Hearing his name spoken by such a powerful voice was jarring, to say the least. “There is much in your lineage that you are unaware of, things of great importance to the very balance of our worlds. Follow these two to the Court of Queen Yuuko. With my blessing no harm will come of you.”_ _

__“Wait,” he called to the quickly fading from of the dragon. “You mean you don’t have the weapon now? What if Zukamori finds us?”_ _

__This time she sounded fondly amused, like a mother speaking to an impatient child. “Even magic takes time. Fear not, the weapon will find you before you have need of it.”_ _

__And with that, she was gone, leaving Kurogane and the three fae alone in the cavern._ _

__There were a few beats of uneasy silence. Fai moved up to Kurogane’s side, his eyes never leaving the two new fae that had joined them._ _

__“Yue, Kamui,” Fai said to each of them in turn. “Long time no see.”_ _

__The darker haired one scowled. “You know why we’re here, don’t make this difficult.”_ _

__“Or more difficult that it already is,” added the silver haired fae._ _

__Beside him Fai was tense, and he was standing ever so slightly in front of Kurogane, as if to shield him. There was no need, however, because Kurogane believed what the dragon guardian had told him. “You heard what was said,” Kurogane said, undaunted. “There’s no capture happening here, bring us to the Queen so we can relay the message.”_ _

__“Don’t order us around, mortal!” snapped the dark haired fae._ _

__“You’ve gotten even more foul tempered since I last saw you, Kamui,” Fai said coldly. “Planning on disobeying her Guardianship?”_ _

__Kurogane watched, amused, as the dark haired fae, Kamui, bit back whatever else he might have had to say. The other fae stepped up, wholly unimpressed looking and much more level headed than Kamui. “We were instructed to bring you to Her Majesty, if you come willingly I see no reason for violence from any of us.”_ _

__Fai and Kurogane exchanged a look, and nodded their agreement. And then, before Kurogane drew his next breath, they were stood before two great doors that opened with a wave of Yue’s hand, revealing a majestic throne room. Only one person was there, draped haphazardly across the throne, inky black hair cascading down and across the floor._ _

__She looked up, a lazy and slow turn of her head, when the four of them began to approach._ _

__“So,” the Queen drawled, “what, exactly, do you have to say for yourselves?”_ _

__It didn’t look like that was an answer that she was happy with, but there was a great doubt in Kurogane that there was much of any answer she would be please her. Still, Fai stepped forward to offer his reasoning for what he had done when he’d caused Kurogane to stray from the path the Queen had intended for him to follow. The one that would have no doubt lead him to this very place._ _

__Predictably, she had a similar reaction to the one Kurogane had had when Fai had told him his plan. “What is some mortal supposed to accomplish that the King and his Court could not?” she demanded. “Zukamori fancies himself a god of pestilence, I don’t think he’s likely to cower before some village man who was able to pilfer a flower.”_ _

__There was irritation and anger in the Queen’s voice, that much even a blind fool could see, but there was more beneath it. Something akin to sadness, and a fear that was more than likely for her people. If one Court had fallen what was going to stop the next from being her own?_ _

__Still…_ _

__“The guardian of your river seems to think I’m worth believing in,” Kurogane spoke, stepping forward and meeting the Queen’s gaze steadily. “I’ve made a pact for a weapon that will be ready and delivered to me at this Court by dawn.”_ _

__Yuuko considered him at length. Hers, while similar in color, was not the same piercing gaze as the dragon’s had been. It didn’t reach into him and pull forward things that even he had been oblivious to, but still, it was a deeply searching gaze, one that saw more than Kurogane would have normally wished someone, let alone any fae, to see. Regardless, he stood tall and firm, with nothing to hide from this Queen of Fairies. She could search all she liked, there was no dishonesty to be found._ _

__Behind them, he heard Yue clear his throat. “The Dragon of the River did bless him and grant the title God Slayer,” he confirmed. At least he wasn’t going to try and disobey the directions they had all been given in the cavern._ _

__Even when Yue spoke, Yuuko did not turn her eyes away from Kurogane’s. Not for several more impossibly long seconds. Kurogane could swear none of the fae were breathing. Then, she smiled._ _

__“A fool and airheaded layabout, yes,” she said without preamble, “Fai is those things and more, but he has never been an idiot. If she sees you worthy, then I am not going to stop you. Kill Zukamori, the one who calls himself the god of pestilence, and I will see both yours and Fai’s debts to me as repaid in full.”_ _

__Fai bowed and gave his thanks, Kurogane followed suit, all the better to keep the Queen please with the simple gestures while he was in her lands now that they held a common goal._ _

__“Before you are dismissed to await the arrival of your weapon,” Yuuko said when they stood again, “I wonder if the dragon offered you a reason for why she believes in you so?”_ _

__At first Kurogane didn’t think he had been given a reason, just the blessing to go forth. He was ready to kick himself for not asking why he was so special or if he even was special at all, when he remembered that there had been a comment about his heritage, something he had never given thought about. He was no noble or royal, his blood had been wholly unimportant to the happenings of the world. Or so he had thought._ _

__“She said that there are things I don’t know about my lineage…” Kurogane said. He didn’t know what that was meant to tell him or if it was meant to help, but maybe Yuuko could do something with the information._ _

__“Interesting,” is all she had to say about it, however, and the they were all dismissed._ _

__Fai and Kurogane were lead to a single room not far from what Fai mentioned was the entrance hall. It was opulent compared to what Kurogane was used to, but he knew that for fae, especially a Lord, it was almost insultingly plain._ _

__Simple curtains of heavy, white cotton hung from the ceiling to cover most of the dark wood walls. A single wardrobe stood across the room, unadorned with any carvings or decoration whatsoever aside from the natural grain. There was a washbasin in one corner, no mirror and with a stone bowl. The four poster bed was huge, large enough to make any mortal king happy, and the canopy and curtains the fell around the bed were a light, translucent material that wafted gently in response to the lightest stirring of air._ _

__According to Fai this was a step above a prison cell, but Kurogane could hardly find it in himself to mind. It was nearly three times the size of his own room back home, and even without a window it was as bright as a cloudless midday sky._ _

__What did bother Kurogane, though, was waiting with nothing else to do. Too much was looming on the horizon, too much was resting on him being able to wield this weapon, to defeat this crazed fae. He couldn’t possibly do like Fai was and lay on the bed, hands behind his head and eyes closed. He needed to be kept busy._ _

__At the moment, he was pacing._ _

__“You should learn how to relax,” Fai said from the bed without so much as opening his eyes._ _

__“And you should learn some diligence,” Kurogane snapped, irritated despite himself. “What am I supposed to do until sunrise?”_ _

__“Rest,” Fai answered simply. “It’s all you can do since we’re not allowed out of this room.”_ _

__Frustrated and without any useful or meaningful words, Kurogane flopped down on the mattress beside Fai. It was not relaxing, even if it was soft._ _

__“What’s this?” Fai asked, looking down at a small package that had fallen out of Kurogane’s pocket when he’d thrown himself down._ _

__It was the package the Queen had given Kurogane’s father along with the instructions to enter the Woods in order to pay penance for the flower. She hadn’t asked for it back, and he had forgotten all about it. Curious, Kurogane picked it up and turned it over._ _

__It fit easily in the palm of his hand and felt no heavier than the parchment that was used as the wrapping. He could almost believe there was nothing inside of it. On one side was a wax seal bearing the mark of Yuuko’s Court._ _

__A quick exchange of glances between himself and Fai and Kurogane was sliding a finger between the flaps of the parchment and breaking the wax seal to see the contents of the package._ _

__It was almost a let down when all that fell out was a single, black seed. Until Fai gasped, that was._ _

__“By the Moon! Is that-” his hands flew to his mouth as he stared at the small seed in Kurogane’s hand. “How is it still alive after so long? No wonder Yuuko was so angry!”_ _

__Blinking, Kurogane looked down at the unassuming seed. He reminded himself that nothing was what it seemed in the Fae Realm. “Are you gonna tell me what this is?”_ _

__“The Luminous Blossom’s seed!” Fai gasped with no small amount of wonder. “Kuro-amaze! How are you doing that?”_ _

__Kurogane frowned. “Doing what?”_ _

__Fai gestured at the seed. “Holding the seed! Only the Queen can hold it.” he said. “The Queen and the Moon Goddess who presented it to her centuries ago.”_ _

__Over 800 years ago, Fai told him, the Moon watched over the mortal world, aloof and detached like most gods. Until one night she fell in love with a mortal. This mortal was said to be a common person, nothing notable in name or riches. Instead, it was the mortal’s heart that had won the Moon’s love. So deeply did she love this mortal that she hung back in the daylight sky to watch just a moment longer, knowing that soon her beloved’s life would all too quickly come to an end._ _

__Unable to cope with such a fate, and distracted terribly from her duties, the Moon sought a powerful fairy queen and asked a favor. This fairy queen had served the Moon well, devoted to her and ever trustworthy. The Moon told her everything and beg the queen to help, but the queen could not grant the Moon’s wish alone._ _

__Tearfully, the Moon prepared to return to her place in the sky when the queen offered an idea. She might not be able alone, but with help there may be a way. The queen called upon a king from another court, one of great power and deep trust, while the Moon called upon her friend the Stars for aide. Together, they could grant her wish, at a cost._ _

__The Moon had no one to take her place, so she created a vessel, a precious seed that would bloom and hold most of her godly power. The rest of her power, as a gift and a burden, would be granted to the queen. Should anything befall the flower the queen could create a new seed to be replanted._ _

___Beware,_ warned the Stars, _only one seed can exist. And if this seed dies before it is sown the Moon’s power dies with it.__ _

__And so the Moon lowered herself to be among the mortals for love, and the fairy queen took on the burden of protecting a delicate flower that held the fate of the Moon and the balance of nature unto herself. And while the Moon and her descendants may never again become gods, it is said that if one were to appear with a pure heart and purpose, they may once again regain their foremother’s ancient power._ _

__“The only souls who have touched this are Queen Yuuko and the Moon,” Fai concluded. “Once she became mortal the seed appeared in her hand and she handed it to the Queen.”_ _

__“She held this, as a mortal?” Kurogane asked, an absurd thought occurred to him._ _

__Fai’s eyes widened. “You don’t think-”_ _

___CRASH!!_ _ _

__There was no time to think anything as the world shook around them. Over the sound of stone and wood alike breaking and crashing to the floor an unnatural screech echoed through the air, plunging ice into the blood and knives into the skull._ _

__Zukamori had arrived._ _

__“Damn it all,” Fai hissed, stumbling towards the door. “Dawn is still a ways off!”_ _

__Struggling through the noise, Kurogane slipped the seed back into its package and then tucked it into a pocket near his breast. “What do we do?”_ _

__Between one blink and the next Fai was outfitted with his Court’s obsidian armor and had a bow in hand. “I fight,” he said. “You find shelter and wait for the dragon’s delivery.”_ _

__Kurogane grabbed Fai at his elbow before he could even lift off the ground. “If you think I’m going to run and hide while others fight and bleed you really are an idiot and this time I really will punch you in your infuriatingly pretty face.”_ _

__“Careful, Kuro-chii,” Fai said, stepping very much into Kurogane’s personal space, “or I might think you’ve begun to warm up to me.”_ _

__“Let me fight with you,” he said. It came out a tad breathless._ _

__“I promise to still be fighting when you join us at dawn,” Fai answered. And then he was free on Kurogane’s grasp, gone like wind between his fingers. “Don’t be late!”_ _

__The package, now that he knew what was inside of it and what it might have t do with him, was a heavy weight against his chest._ _

__xXx_ _

__Yuuko had known Fai was spending a lot of his time, free or otherwise, searching for what had killed all the members of the Sun Court - for what had killed Clow. She had been too angry and grief ridden to listen to him and allot him the time he asked for. Instead she had set him to the guardsman’s task of watching over the Luminous Blossom and now they were paying for it._ _

__She should have checked if that boy was truly a child of the Moon or if the dragon had meant something else._ _

__No sense in dwelling on the past. Right now, there was a crazed fairy in her throne room with murder in his cold, cold eyes._ _

__She had to admit, the steely calm of Zukamori was the most unnerving thing about him. He strode into her throne room as genial as anything, a polite upturn of his lips that would otherwise be welcoming now sinister and foreboding, while unholy screams of only the gods knew what rang out in his wake. He seemed deaf to it. He also seemed to be oblivious (or uncaring) or the decay the was left behind in his every footprint._ _

__For her part, Yuuko managed to not bat an eyelash. She was far too old to be cowed by something so simple as screaming however horrific they may be. Zukamori would have to try harder than that to earn a wince or flinch from her._ _

__“It is quite rude,” she said, “to appear uninvited and unannounced in a Queen’s throne room. And with such pomp and circumstance on top of it all.”_ _

__The smile twitched ever so slightly wider. “My apologies, but as you are merely a queen while I am a God, I assumed my visit an honor.”_ _

__Yuuko arched a single eyebrow. “My dear, you are no god, why you’re hardly more than a murderer.”_ _

__Gone was the smile. “Oh no, my dear little queen, I assure you, I am a God.”_ _

__“Then what, pray tell, are you doing here?”_ _

__She knew why he had come, it would have only been a matter of time before he realized the flower was no more and came looking for the seed. The Sun Court had been charged with keeping the secret of the Moon Court. Zukamori would of course know the stories, and in order to try and finalize and officialize his ascent to godhood he would desire to absorb the power of an actual god._ _

__“Let’s not play games,” he said, smiling again. Yuuko could taste the threat. “Give me the seed and I promise to not kill every last plant and animal in these Woods.”_ _

__Yuuko couldn’t help but finally crack a smile of her own. “You’re too late,” she said. “I don’t have it.”_ _

__At that moment Yue gave the signal for her warriors to attack. This battle would be bloody, and she would lose good subjects, but wars always came with body counts._ _

__xXx_ _

__Kurogane waited on the other side of the dark stone walls of Yuuko’s Court. The sky was still dark, but the stars were fading fast. Dawn was drawing close, and it couldn’t come soon enough. With every passing second the seed grew heavier and the words of Fai’s stry echoed louder._ _

___… regain their foremother’s ancient power…_ _ _

__But did Kurogane have a pure heart? Just because the guardian had been willing to make him a weapon didn’t means he was pure. Neither did it mean his goal was pure._ _

__If he didn’t do something soon, though, who knew what could happen._ _

__Two more minutes passed and when not even a faint glow of pink showed about the treetops Kurogane threw caution to the wind and pulled out the seed. He looked at it, so small and unassuming in his hand. With a prayer - to the Moon, to the Forest, to his mother - he swallowed it whole._ _

__For several heartbeats nothing happened and Kurogane worried that he had been wrong (or worse, right) but then something erupted in his chest and shot lightning though him. It raced over his skin and through his bones. He felt it inside him and around him. The world was suddenly in such clarity it made his head spin. Everything was brighter, clearer, sharper. The air was crisp and he felt light. He felt changed but at the same time so completely himself._ _

__He could hear the battle with Zukamori happening and as soon as he thought about having the dragon’s weapon there was a sleek sword in his hand. It’s surface reflected like a mirror but he somehow knew the blade was made of iron as surely as he knew his own name. The hilt was wrapped in thick bands of rowan bark that felt as soft in his hand as the richest of leather. The dragon had delivered._ _

___Take this blade with my blessing and see justice and order renewed, O God Slayer, Son of the Moon Long Set._ _ _

__Graced with the power of a demi-god -- _the Moon and her descendants may never again become gods_ Fai’s voice reminded him -- Kurogane charged into the Court, sword drawn and ready for battle._ _

__To see Zukamori looked like a man, scarred and flawed, was anticlimactic. He had expected some great beast, foul and terrible, to roar and rear up on its hind legs against Kurogane’s sword. It wouldn’t slow Kurogane’s swing, though. This thing was no man, it merely wore a man’s face. It was an agent of death and it would be brought to heel._ _

__“Zukamori!” Kurogane called, swinging his first strike. The sword was lighter than air but it struck solid against Zukamori’s shield. Kurogane knew it would not break._ _

__“A mortal?” Zukamori said with bewildered amusement as they clashed blades._ _

__There were fallen fae, their blood slick and black (so that was that color, Kurogane couldn’t help but think) on the floor and walls. The wounded shrunk back away from the fight while those still able to fight stood ready to reenter once Kurogane fell, but he had no plans to do such a thing._ _

__As he traded blows Kurogane managed to briefly pick out Fai among those ready to rejoin the fray and he felt the strangest wave of relief wash over him. It was something he ought to examine, but at a later time perhaps._ _

__Zukamori struck, Kurogane blocked, and then watched as he put distance between them. “No,” Zukamori said. “Not a mortal. But not a fae either. Tell me, what are you?”_ _

__Kurogane straightened his stance, readied to take or make another attack. “I am Kurogane, Son of the Moon Long Set and the man who will kill you, here and now!”_ _

__He dashed forward, made to swing, but he was caught by surprise as Zukamori caught his blade in his hand, the flesh and bone sizzling sickeningly. Worse than that, though, was the new and unmatched rage in Zukamori’s eyes._ _

__“You consumed the seed.” A statement. “You pathetic, filthy mortal! That was meant for me! You dirty half breed!”_ _

__Zukamori ripped the blade from Kurogane’s hands, leaving him with nothing but a strand of the rowan bark that had come loose in Kurogane’s attempt to keep hold of his weapon._ _

__“It matters little,” Zukamori said, his calm chilling. He picked Kurogane up and threw him to the end of the throne room. His approach was slow, measured steps threatening. “The seed is a part of you now, so I will simply consume your flesh and absorb its power from there.”_ _

__“Like hell!” Kurogane heard Fai cry. He lifted himself up in time to see Fai loose several arrows at Zukamori only for each of them to rot midair and fall to the ground as grime._ _

__When Zumakori turned to no doubt dispatch of Fai, Kurogane took his chance, the only chance he had, and did something amazingly foolish._ _

__Wrapping the rowan bark around his hand he made for Zukamori and grabbed the front of his putrid tunic, ignoring the hiss of rot against his skin. With everything he had within himself, all of his old and new strength burning in his veins and bursting in his chest and head, he punched Zukamori square in the jaw, making sure to dig in with the rowan bark._ _

__And like a rotten tomato, Zukamori’s head collapsed an exploded into already rotten gore, soiling the floor and the feet of any fae unfortunate enough to have been too close._ _

__Exhausted, in pain, and finally victorious, Kurogane fell to his knees and when Fai wrapped his arms around him, he fell into darkness._ _

__The darkness was not a silent one, however. It spoke to him. Sort of._ _

__There were broken phrases and jumbled voices all talking over each other. He couldn’t tell what was real and what was a dream. There was no pain, though, so he let the voices speak, let the images wash over him and tried to remember what he could in case it meant anything, since he was a demi-god now. Who knew what he was responsible for now._ _

__xXx_ _

__“He did well,” the Queen said sweetly._ _

__“Are you sure that was the best way to go about that?” ask the Queen’s Consort, wincing a little at the crystal they were using to watch the Son of the Moon._ _

__The Queen laughed, her hand daintily coming to cover her mouth. “You know as well as I that we cannot directly interfere. But the struggles have earned him a reward. We will send word of Zukamori’s true name.”_ _

__The Queen’s Consort nodded. “Knowing how to properly keep Seishirou disposed of will be a well appreciate reward.”_ _

__“We’ll be seeing them soon ourselves,” the Queen added, smiling as she watched Kurogane wake up in the healing wing of Yuuko’s court to a tearful but delighted Fai, who threw himself at the human turned demi-god. “After all, we’re the only ones who can help reinstate the Sun Court.”_ _

__“You mean _you_ are the only one who can,” her husband corrected._ _

__The two in the crystal pressed their foreheads together. There would be a great romance between them given time. She looked forward to seeing it grow._ _

__“The Stars work is never done,” Sakura, Queen of the Star Court agreed happily. “But it is so very worth it when the stories end on such happy notes.”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> [Follow this link to score my fic!!](https://kurofai.dreamwidth.org/110549.html)


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